Rotary engine



8 9 m o N d e t n o t a P .E E" n". N WE M A .T H0 R 4" 4 B 6 n (Application filed May an, mam

' 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

Inventr. x4

Attorney.

No. 613,344. A Patented Nov. I, I898. H. P. WHITE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed May 22, 1897.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Attorney.

Patented Nov. I, I898. H. P. WHITE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

' ion filed May 22, 1897) 3 Sheets Sheet 3- (No Model.)

Attorney UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY P. WHITE, OF KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO BYRON A. NIXON, OF HILLSDALE, MICHIGAN;

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,344., dated November 1, 1898.

I Application filed May 22, 1897. Serial No. 6 3'7j778. (No model.) i

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY RWHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Kalamazoo, in the county of Kalamazoo and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in rotary steam-engines, and particularly to a modified construction of the engine shown in my patent application concurrent herewith.

This invention relates particularly to rotary engines that are not reversible.

The first object of this invention is to provide a rotary steam-engine in which the expansion of the steam is taken advantage of and which shall have steam-pressure through the entire rotation of the piston or substantially the entire rotation of the piston; second, to provide a rotary steam'engine in which the full power of the steam is effected and utilized at the beginning of the revolution, and, third, to provide a non reversible rotary steamengine which shall receive steam-pressure through practically its entire rotation on a very broad piston-surface in proportion to the cylinder-chamber.

Further objects will appear definitely in the detailed description.

I accomplish these objects of my invention by the devices and means described in the following specification, definitely pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical transverse detail sectional view of my improved engine, taken on a line, corresponding to line 1 1 of Fig. 2, showing the relation of the pistons to each other and the relation of the inlets and eX- hausts. Fig. 2 is a horizontal detail sectional view on a line corresponding to line 2 2 of Fig. 1, looking down. Fig. 3 is a transverse detail sectional view of a modified construction in which but a single oscillating piston is used, showing how the engine can be utilized to the fullest extent in this connection and the steam-pressure continued nearly through the entire rotation.

In the drawings similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

.ing piston 0.

Referring to the lettered parts of the drawings, A represents the base, which can be of any suitable form and material desired.

B represents the steam-cylinder, which has 5 5 suitable brackets or supports for attachment to the base. On each side of the steam-cylinder Bare heads B. Extending through the center of the steam-cylinder and supported on bearings in the head is the shaft 0, which carries the rotary piston O, which is supported on the shaft to one side of the piston center. The forward side of the piston is in the form of a true eccentric and the back portion thereof is flattened, for the reason hereinafter explained.

The engine will be operative with the piston O, a true eccentric indicated by dotted 'lines in Fig. 1, and for some uses this form may be preferred.

Chambers or recesses are formed to each side of the circular portion of the cylinder, having a narrow longitudinal opening into the same on opposite sides. Within these recesses or chambers are the oscillating pistons D, which are carried on shafts D, and have a curved portion D, which projects through the slots into the main cylinder. Each portion D is curved to pass through the narrow slots provided. v

Inlet-valves E are provided for each of the chambers back of the pistons D, and these inlet-valves are controlled by eccentrics G, which are of the usual form and may open and cut off the valve at any pointrequired. In the heads of the cylinder are exhaustports F F, clearly appearing in dotted lines in the sectional views shown in Fig. 1,which are opened and closed by the passing of the rotary piston O.

In the operation of this improved engine the steam is admitted through the valve E at the right of Fig. 1 when the engine is in the position there indicated. This presses upon the oscillating piston D and drives the 95 part D against the flattened side of the rotat- This forces the same forward by its wedging action. As it moves forward the action of piston D is continued and a larger surface of the rotating piston is ex- I00 posed. The steam is cut off at a proper point by the eccentric, and the rotary piston is carried around. lVhen the piston C passes,the left-hand exhaust-port is exposed and the steam is allowed to escape. The left-hand oscillating piston D passes down in front of the exhaust-port and of course will not allow any of the working steam admitted at that point to escape. As the piston revolves the curved portion in front acts upon the lefthand oscillating piston and carries it out to its initial position ready for action. The steam is admitted through the left-hand valve E, and the operation is repeated, driving the piston around to the point indicated in the drawings, thus completing the revolution of the engine. Owing to the fact that but a small portion of the cylinder proper is taken up by the oscillating piston, the steam-pressure is delivered practically continuous around the entire revolution of the engine.

Springs I are put on the ends of the shafts D to hold the end of the oscillating piston normally in contact with the rotary piston. This could be accomplished by other means than the spring; but the spring is found to be very practical.

In Fig. 3 a section of the rotary engine is shown which secures very practical and valuable results with but a single oseillatingpiston. In that case the oscillating piston is made fiat and fits in a recess in the side of the main cylinder. The operation is the same as in the construction heretofore described, except the exhaust F is through the side of the cylinder and not through the head. The valve E is controlled to secure any desired cut-off and operates very efiiciently. This form is preferred for some purposes and is particularly adapted to compound engines.

From this description it will be observed that my improved engine is capable of great variation in its details without departing from my invention. A practical continuous full action of the steam is secured on opening the valve and can be distributed during the rotation as required by varying the form of the piston.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a rotary steam-engine the combination, of the cylinder 13, containing a main central circular portion with recesses to each side opening by a narrow transverse slot into the central circular portion; suitable heads 13', for said cylinder; a rotary piston of the eccentric type pivoted to revolve in the center of the main circular portion; oscillating pistons D, carried on shafts D, within the chambers to each side and of sufficient length to reach beyond the center of rotation of said rotary piston, each oscillating piston having a curved portion D, projecting through the slot of its respective chamber to the rotary piston within and adapted to deliver power thereto; inlet-valves opening into said recesses back of the oscillating pistons; and outlet-ports F, in the heads of the cylinder with suitable means of controlling the same, and suitable connections from moving parts of the engine to the inlet-valves, all coacting together substantially as described for the purpose specified.

2. In a rotary engine the combination of the cylinder B, containing the main central circular portion with a recess to one side openin gby a narrow transverse slot into the central circular portion; suitable heads B, for said cylinder; a rotary piston O, of the eccentric type pivoted to revolve in the main circular portion of the cylinder; an oscillating piston D, carried on a shaft D, and of sufficient length to reach beyond the center of rotation of said rotary piston, within the recess having a curved portion D, projecting through the slot of the recess to the rotary piston within; an inlet valve opening into the recess back of the oscillatingpiston; and an exhaust-port to the opposite side of the rotary piston; and suitable means of controlling the inlet and outlet ports, for the purpose specified.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination of the cylinder 13, containing a main central circular portion with recesses to the sides thereof opening into the same suitable heads for the cylinder; a rotary piston of the eccentric type pivoted to revolve within the main circular portion; oscillating pistons of sufiicient length to reach beyond the center of rotation of said rotary piston in the recesses to the sides adapted to actuate the rotary piston; inlet-valves opening into the recesses back of the oscillating pistons; corresponding exhaust-ports,coacting for the purpose specified.

4. In a rotary engine the combination of a cylinder with a main central circular portion having a recess to one side; suitable heads for the cylinder; a rotary piston of the eccentric type with its rear side flattened or conformed to receive and distribute the force as desired from an oscillating piston in addition to direct steam-pressure; an oscillating piston pivoted within the recess and conformed to contact with the rotary piston and extend beyond its center of rotation to deliver its force thereto; an inlet-valve opening into the recess back of the oscillating piston to deliver the force of steam or other fluid directly against the oscillating piston which delivers its force to the rotary piston for the purpose specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY P. \VHITE. [L. s.] Witnesses:

VENE E. CHAPPELL, CORA W. FULFORD. 

